Safety device for time-clearers on nappers.



C. P. R. THlEL.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR TIME CLEARERS 0N NAPPERS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-2.1914.

1,154,350. Pat-entedSept. 21, 1915.

Y,;:Z:; \nvenfor g mmes F. R hael, W W y AtIy's.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cO-, WASHINGTON. D. c

rrnn ermine rarnnr orrion CHARLES P. R. THIEL, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIS & FURBER MACHINE 00., OF NORTH ANIDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, CHAnLns P. R. TI-IIEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Andover, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Safety Devices for Time-Clearers on Nappers, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in safety clutches adapted to disengage a driving from a driven member when rotation of the latter is prevented by any obstruction and thereby avoid injury to the driving member or driven member or to the train of bearing of which they form a part.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated herein as applied to a nap ping machine to prevent the stripping of the gears by which power is transmitted from the main or napping cylinder to the time clearers which serve to clean the napping or teazeling rollers.

As is well known incloth napping machines the teazeling rolls are arranged around a drum and revolve upon their own axes during the rotation of the drum. These rolls are arranged in two alternate series which revolve at different speeds and are provided with cards having their pointsturned in opposite directions to correspond to the direction of movement of the two series of rollers. It is necessary to cleanthe teazeling rollers while the drum is being rotated and it is customary to provide two rotatable brushes adapted to cooperate respectively with the different series of teazeling rollers. The clearing brush usually consists of a metal drum having two or more strips of wood fastened to it which carry brushes or bristles. In order that the rolls of the alternating series may be brushed properly in the right direction and at the right time by the respective clearers a train of gears is used to give the proper ratio between the clearer and the rotating drum, this train-of gearing being positively driven from the drums. I

'VVhen the machine is in operation the cloth will sometimes wind about a teazeling roll and be carried into the path of the clearer thereby obstructing its rotation and causing a breaking down of the gearing.

Specification of Letterslatent.

Application filed January 2 Patented Sept. 21, 1915.

, 1914. Serial No. 810,087.

Occasionally other obstructions find their way into the machine and stop the rotation ofthe time clearers and likewise render the machine inoperative. In order to overcome this objection I have introduced a safety clutch mechanism between the driving cyl inder and the time clearers so arranged as to provide positive connection between a driving mechanism which is actuated from the main cylinder and a mechanism driven therefrom to rotate the clearers when the machine is working under normal conditions but which will permit complete disengagement of such connection theinstant an obstruction occurs so that the clearer will be thrown out of action while the driidng mechanism continues to run.

Qne of the objects of the invention there fore is to provide a yieldable connecting means between a driving member and a driven member which will cause the parts to rotate in unison during the normal opera tion of the machine and to be completely disengaged in the event of obstruction or overload. c

Another object of the invention is to provide means for positively retaining the interlocking means in operative relation relatively to the driving and driven members after its disengagement from interlocking position. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide an interlocking means of the character above set forth whichmay be readily readjusted to normal operative position after having been disengaged in the manner aforesaid.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is ,a diagrammatic view of a portion of, a napping ma chine showing the relative positions of the drum, the napping rollers and the time clearers, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of one form of safety clutch embodying my inventionshown as applied to the shaft of one of the time clearers, Fig. 3 is a detail end viewof one of the clutch members, Fig. 4c is a detail end view of the other clutch. member, Fig. 5 isa view of a modified formof my invention showing the safety clutch as applied to an intermediate gear located be tween the main driving gear and the gear which drives the time clearer, and Fig. 6, is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 5.

and which are rotated by suitable driving mechanism not shown. Beneath the rotating drum.and operatively disposed relativelyv to the napping rolls are two time clearers, the brushes 1 and 5 which are suitably journaled in the frame of the machine in the ordinary manner. Rotation is imparted to the time clearer-s througha gear (3 upon the rotatable drum which meshes with an intermediate gear 7 which in turn meshes with a pinion 8 adapted to drive the timeclearer a in the manner hereinafter described. A gear 9 secured to the shaft of the time clearer 1 meshes with a similar gear 10 upon the shaft of the clearer 5 and serves to drive the clearers in unison. The time clearers 4 and 5 are rotated in timed relation to the napping cylinders 2 and 3 so that .the brushes of the respective cylinders will engage alternate rolls, the time clearers respectively being rotated in adirection to properly engage the teeth of the napping rollers and remove therefrom the accumulated :lint. It is essential that this .relation be maintained, otherwise the clearing rolls wouldbe operat ing against the carding or active face of the napping rolls and would injure or destroy the same. Occasionally the clearing rolls become obstructed as by the winding up of the cloth on its rolls and cause the breaking of the gears and otherdamage' to the ma chine.

The object ofthe presentinvention is to provide ayieldable mechanism in the driving train between the drum 1 and the time clearing rolls which by yielding will permit the stoppageof the time clearing rolls with out injury to the machine and whereby when the obstruction is removed and the time clearing rolls are again to be rendered, effective the connection between ,the driving mechanism for the same and the drumwill necessarily maintain the proper definite relation between the rotation of the drumand its napping cylinders and thebrushes of the time clearer rolls.

,In the preferred form :of apparatus to which mv inventionis. applied as illustrated in Fig. 2, the pinion 8 is revolubly, mounted upon the shaft 12 of the time clearer-4c and is preferably'provided with a hub 13 upon whichis rigidlv keyed a disk lahaving a "laterally aextending flange .15 provided with an aperture or, recesslG positioned in properly timed relation to the napping rolls. and adapted to receive apawl 17 carried by a cylindrical member'18 which is rigidly se cured to theshaft 12 by a-key 19 and is;pro vided with an annular channel 20.

The pawl it? comprises a lateral extension from a shaft 21 which is rotatably mounted in the web 22 of the member 18 at the bottom of the channel 20 and means are provlded to positlvely hold said pawl elther in interlocking engagement with the recess 16 or to retain it free from engagement there -w1th or from contact with the flange 15. As

nel 20 is provided with a shouldered lug and adjacent thereto a stud 26 is secured in the aveb of the member 18, said stud being provided with an aperture 2'7 adapt-ed to re ceivea bolt 28. A pair of springs 30 and 31'are secured within said channel by said bolt in such a manner that their ends 32 and 33 will rest upon the shoulders of the lug 25 and their opposite ends 3-1 and 35 willv embrace the opposite sides of the squared collar 23 uponthe end ofthe shaft 21.

Theends .34: and 35 of. the springs 30 and 31 may be forced to bear upon the squared collar 23 by the bolt 28 with just sufficient pressure to hold the pawl 17 in the recess 16 of the flange 15 upon the. rotatable driving member during the normal operation of the machine, when, however an obstruction occurs to prevent the rotation of the time clearers the pressure of the flange 15 upon the pawl 17 will be suflicient to cause the rotation of its shaft 21 against the resistance of the springs 30 and 31 and will permit the pawl17 to assume theposition illustrated in dotted lines in Fig; 1 where it will be maintained out of contact with the flange 15 and will permit the free movement of the driving member relatively to the driven member.

It will be obvious-that the tension upon the springs 30 and 31 may be suitably adjusted by screwing up or unscrewing the nuts upon the bolt 28 so that the resistance required to disengage the pawl 17 from the rotatable driving member may be varied as required.

While the driven member illustrated here in is shown as being fastened to the shaft 12 and carrying the pawl 17 it will be ob vious that the arrangement of the parts may be reversed and the pawl be carried by the driving member. Figs. 5 and 6 show a modified construction embodying my invention in which the detachable clutch members are mounted upon the. shaft .40 which carries the intermediate gear 7. In this constructien the gear 7 is rotatably mounted on the 2. f

shaft 40 and has an extended hub 113 upon which is mounted a disk 11 1 having an apertured or recessed flange 115 similar to that carried by the hub of the pinion 8 in the construction first described and constituting as in that case the driving member of the clutch mechanism. 7 V

The cooperating driven member which is secured to the shaft 40 comprises in this instance a gear 118 having an annular channel 120 in its outer face in the web of which is mounted a shaft 121 having at one end a pawl 117 adapted to enter the recess in the flange 115 and a squaredcollar123 at its other end, embraced by the ends 184: and 135 of springs 130 and 131 carried by a bolt 128 extending through a stud 126 said springs abutting at their opposite ends 132, 133 against the shoulders of a lug 125 which projects inwardly from the outer wall of the channel 120. In this construction the toothed periphery of the drum member 118 engages the teeth of the pinion 81 which is fixed upon the shaft 12 which carries the time clearer 1. The operation of the clutch members is in all respectssimilar to that above described and need not therefore be repeated. It will also be apparent that this clutch mechanism may be utilized in other relations than in connection with the napping machine and that the particular ems bodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be used in various other relations.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative but are not restrictive and that it is also within the contemplation of this invention to provide other interlocking means between the driving and driven member providing however that said interlocking means be so arranged as to normally connect the driving and driven members and to be capable of yielding upon an overload or obstruction to the rotation of one of said members and thereafter be retained free from engagement with one of said rotatable members.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a napping machine comprising a cylinder having rotatable napping rollers and time clearers therefor and means actuated from said cylinder to drive said time clearers in a definitely timed relation to said napping rollers, of yieldable means interposed between said driving means and said time clearers adapted to disengage said driving means therefrom in case the rotation of the time clearers is obstructed and means for maintaining said timed relation upon reengagement of said driving means.

2. In combination with a napping machine comprising a cylinder having rotatable napping rollers and time clearers therefor and means actuated from saidcylinder to drive said time clearers in timed relation thereto, of yieldable means interposed between said. driving means and said time clearers .adapted to disengage said driving means therefrom in case the rotation of the time clearers is obstructed, comprising a rotatable driving member and a rotatable driven member, and yieldable interlocking means adapted normally to cause said members to rotate in unison but adapted to permit the disengagement thereof in case the rotation of the clearers is obstructed, said interlocking means being adapted to maintain the proper timed relation between the napping rollers and the time clearers.

.3. In combination with a napping machine comprising a cylinder having rotatable napping rollers and time clearers therefor and means actuated from said cylinder to drive said time clearers in timed relation to said napping rolls, of yieldable means interposed between said driving means and said time clearers adapted to disengage said driving means therefrom in case the rotation of the time clearers is obstructed comprising a rotatabledriving member revolubly mounted upon the shaft of a time clearer, a driven member rigidly secured to said shaft and interlocking means carried by one of said members adapted to engage the other member to cause said driving and driven members to rotate in unison and in proper timed relation to the rotation of said napping rolls and means adapted to permit the disengagement of said interlocking means in case the rotation of the clearer is obstructed and to retain said interlocking means free from subsequent engagement with said member.

4. In combination with a napping machine comprising a cylinder having rotatable napping rolls and time clearers therefor, means actuated from said cylinder to drive said clearers in definitely timed relation to said napping rolls including a rotatable driving member and a rotatable driven member, means connecting said members comprising a shaft journaled in the web of one of said members eccentrically of the axis thereof and having upon one end an interlocking pawl adapted detachably to engage a recess in the other member positioned to maintain said timed relation, and squared at its opposite end, a pair of springs mount means-actuated from said cylinder-to drive said b11116 clearers -1n definltelytimed relat1on to said napping rolls consisting of rotatable driving members and rotatable driven memberspmeans for detachably con- -nect1ng-said members comprising =a shaft j'ournaled inthe web of one of said members eccentrically oit tllGilXlS thereot and having upon one end an interlocking'pawl adapted 'gagement therewith, and HIGZIHS 'fOI simul taneously adjusting the tension'i of both springs.

6.-In combination'with a napping machine comprising a cylinder having'rotatable napping rollers and time clearers therefor, means actuated: from said cylinder to drive said timeclearersincluding arotatable driv- 1 ing member provided with an annular flange having areeess positionedindefinitely timed "relation to said'napping rolls and a rotatable driven member having an annular channel, ashaftr'igidly mounted in the web of said driven member and having at one end a pawl adapted to engage the recess in the annular flange of: said driving member and at the other end a squared collar-located in said annular channel,an inwardly extending lug upon the'outer wall of said channel, a' stud projecting froin said web between said lug and the axis of the driven member anda pair of springs connected to said lug at one end and embracingthesquared collar at their opposite end, and a bolt passing through said'stud on said spring adapted to support and" to adjust the tension of the latter.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specificatiomin the presence of two [sub scribing j-witnesses.

CHARLES P. R. THIEL.

Witnesses:

'H. LETITIA DREW,

HENRY DZROOKWELL.

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. r -=Washington;1).-G; 

